Depressing Business
by TheInfallibleSnaps
Summary: Sirius/Hermione one-shot written for nicolejellybean. Post-war, AU. Sirius and Hermione are taking necessary precautions in the months following after the conclusion of the war for the order- keeping track of remaining Death Eaters and monitoring the news for odd headlines.


**This is an AU Post-war Sirius/Hermione one-shot written for nicolejellybean- huge shout out to her, she was the first reviewer I had on this website:)**

Life, Hermione decided, was nearly as unpredictable in the months following the war as it had been during the war. Especially when it brought her and Sirius Black to the Leaky Cauldron with a table, several editions of the _Daily Prophet_, and a wall of awkwardness between them.

She risked a glance at him. He was bent over the newspaper, studying the text.

"Rabastan Lestrange has just been jailed," he muttered, crossing off another name on a long list of Death Eaters and names in dark magic, courtesy of Hermione's research. "Dolohov was killed in the battle, right? Yeah, he's an easy one. I'm surprised we've not gotten him out of the way already."

The Order of the Phoenix had been keeping track of the remaining Death Eaters that weren't killed in the war or already jailed. Several on the run had already been captured and sent to Azkaban by their efforts. That wasn't all—they were also keeping tabs on suspicious events in the aftermath of the battle, though there were nearly none.

"Is that all on this page?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," said Sirius, at last glancing up. He attempted a smile. "Depressing business, this."

"Someone's got to do it," said Hermione, shrugging. "The worst of it's over."

"At least the _Prophet_'s not rubbish anymore," remarked Sirius. "Ever since we sacked Rita Skeeter—thanks to you!"

He beamed at her. Hermione shrugged. "It was all Harry, really."

Sirius scoffed. "Yeah, right. Don't get me wrong, Hermione, Harry's brilliant and all, but he was lying in a hospital bed from the tournament while you figured it out yourself."

"Well," said Hermione, a smile creeping onto her face. "Well, yes, to be honest. But I got the idea when he talked about bugs—you know, muggle bugs. They're security cameras that muggles use to spy on each other. That was when I realized."

"I see," said Sirius. "By the way, we need a new writer for the _Prophet_. Preferably one without a Quick Quotes Quill."

"Hestia Jones told me there's been a few applicants," informed Hermione. "I've went over the papers, and the best one seemed to be Padma Patil's. I went to Hogwarts with her. She was in the same year, but Ravenclaw."

"Any relation to Suraj Patil?" said Sirius. "I think he went to school with us—you know, James and Remus."

Hermione shrugged. "Probably. They have the same surname, don't they?"

"He was a Gryffindor, though, Suraj," said Sirius, furrowing his brow as he attempted to recollect his memories of Hogwarts.

"It doesn't matter," said Hermione matter-of-factly. "Not everyone's in the same house as their families. Her sister, Parvati, was a Gryffindor, though."

"Wait—Patil, he was going out with this girl from Ravenclaw…Mandy? Mandara. I don't remember her last name."

"They must be her parents, then," reasoned Hermione.

"Speaking of parents," said Sirius quietly. "Yours—have you restored their memories yet?"

Hermione averted her eyes. "No. I'm not sure whether I should get them from Australia at all."

"Why not?" Sirius asked.

"Because," said Hermione, "I don't think it's ever going to be safe enough for them. The Order still has enemies, Sirius. They're muggles, they can't protect themselves, and I can't always be next to them. I don't know."

"Hermione, the war is over," assured Sirius. "I understand your concerns, but nothing's going to happen to your parents now. It's been months, the aftermath is over, and nearly all the Death Eaters left are in Azkaban or dead. It's going to be fine."

Hermione hesitated. "Are you sure?

Sirius reached across the table to take her hand, breaking the wall of tension in a swift motion. "I'm sure. Things are finally the way they're supposed to be. The Ministry's not run by a lot of morons for a change, and the Order's stronger than ever."

Something jolted up Hermione's arm that had nothing to do with electricity.

He let go of her hand, and silence fell over them once more as they began examining the next page of the newspaper, Sirius scanning for Death Eaters and Hermione for events that seemed peculiar.

A flashing headline caught Hermione's eye: _Irish Witch Breaks Record For Most Cauldron Cakes Eaten in One Minute!_

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What is it?" said Sirius, tilting his head to read the title. "Irish Woman Breaks Record For…oh. Well, the war's only just ended, there's probably nothing else to write about, anyway."

Hermione laughed, her first genuine laugh in a long time.

"I'm not joking!" Sirius insisted sarcastically. "Why _not_ get excited about cauldron cakes?"

Hermione snickered and swatted him. "_Sirius!_"

"Anyway, if we've gotten to the world record for cauldron cakes eaten in a minute, I don't suppose there's anything important left in this one," said Sirius in a businesslike tone. "I think we can both go home now."

"Yeah, we'd better," said Hermione, glancing outside the window. "It's going to get dark in a while."

Sirius rose from his seat. Hermione gathered the papers and stood up, careful to not drop anything.

"Right, then. I'll see you later, Sirius," said Hermione, nodding at him. As she turned to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait."

Hermione turned back around to Sirius, who looked slightly sheepish.

"Listen, d'you want to come back here tomorrow? Without all this, I mean," he said, gesturing to the pile of newspapers in Hermione's arms.

Hermione admired his nerve—he wasn't shifting on his feet or averting his eyes.

"Er—yes. That would be…nice."

"Oh," said Sirius, his eyebrows shooting up. He clearly wasn't expecting her response. "Oh. Brilliant. Is six all right?"

Hermione nodded, not quite trusting her voice.

"Right. Bye," said Sirius awkwardly.

He turned to leave, and Hermione grinned. _Yes!_

**Thanks for reading! Feedback is much appreciated:)**


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